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toward
    to keep someone on tenterhooks intentionally: to keep someone hanging on purpose
    to take someone to task: to confront, give a talking-to, rebuke, or reprimand someone
    to be completely flabbergasted: to be totally stunned or shocked, to be left speechless
    to treat: to act or behave towards
    quarrel: dispute, disagreement, clash, squabble, feud
    to admit: to confess, to acknowledge, to reveal, to disclose, to divulge
    ultimately: in the end, eventually, finally
    to proceed: to go on, to carry on, to continue
    to accelerate: to step up, to speed up, to quicken, to expedite
    to commit: to promise, to vow, to give one’s word, to pledge
    calmly: quietly, softly, gently
    matter-of-factly: factually, straightforwardly
    to bother: to trouble, to upset, to concern, to distress, to perturb
    to adhere to: to stick to, to abide by, to comply with, to follow
    to function without a hitch: to go off smoothly, easily, or effortlessly
    cheerfully: happily, joyfully, optimistically
    to bring in line: to accommodate, to harmonise
    to call it a day: to finish or knock off work
    to resolve the issue: to work out or sort out the problem
    flexible work time: adaptable working hours, flexitime
    ahead: forward, to the front
    desired: wanted, needed, required, looked for
    to take into consideration: to take into account, to pay regard or heed to
    varied: diverse, wide-ranging, miscellaneous, different
    of all concerned: of everyone involved or implicated

    A perfect team
    If the scheduling of appointments is outsourced to a call centre, the coordination and communication between sales representative and call centre agent needs to function smoothly .
    “How in the world can they talk with our customers?” was one of the initial reactions from the sales force at Stäubli Tec-Systems Connectors, Bayreuth, when they found out that future scheduling of appointments would be outsourced to an external Call Centre, the CommuniCall Contact Center, Bayreuth. “The sales force’s greatest fear was to be cut down in their freedom to plan,” reports regional sales manager Andreas Lanßky. However, for managing director Heinz Maisel, these initial reactions were not an obstacle . He felt sure that the sales force would quickly profit from the collaboration.
    First hurdles taken successfully
    The four-week pilot phase, which involved two Stäubli sales representatives, already proved Heinz Maisel right . One of the salespeople was Norbert Dörfler. From the beginning, he took a positive view of the project but he also knew that obstacles had to be dealt with in the initial phase. One example was effective route planning. “When we started out, it sometimes happened that we had to go from one customer to the next who was 70 miles away,” says Dörfler.
    Raising the scheduling quality
    A much greater challenge , however, was achieving a high scheduling quality. “It is top priority to be as high as possible,” emphasises Andreas Lanßky. For the call centre staff to be in a position to schedule useful appointments, they first had to be trained in product knowledge. Beyond that , they receive continuous training from the regional sales managers. “We are the link between the scheduling centre and the sales force,” reports Lanßky. To him, smooth communication is what it’s all about.
    This is also the case for direct collaboration between the call centre agent and sales representative. “Of course, we discuss with the agents how to best start the call, how to determine the appropriate contact or which questions to ask,” explains Norbert Dörfler. “The better the scheduling centre has been briefed , the greater the scheduling quality,” adds Andreas Lanßky. Usually, Norbert Dörfler is very satisfied with the quality: “The contacts are well informed about the concrete reason for the sales representative’s visit and are usually well prepared. In many instances, all other important contacts are present at the first visit.”
    Sales force